We started last week with six unbeaten volleyball teams, and by Sunday afternoon, we were down to three.
Portland won its first 12 but opened West Coast Conference play by losing two last week to Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.
Michigan completed its nonconference schedule by winning 33 of the 34 sets it played. In the Wolverines' Big Ten opener at Nebraska, Michigan managed a set, but the Huskers took the other three, limiting Michigan to .135 hitting.
In a match in West Lafayette, Indiana, Illinois played spoiler on a night when Purdue celebrated "Dave Shondell's Luau in Holloway," a sold-out gym where the first 500 students received Hawaiian-themed shirts. Both teams entered unbeaten, but the visitor left unscathed. The Illini notched another Big Ten road victory on Sunday, rallying from 0-2 to win at Indiana.
Illinois is 13-0.
"A lot of it was about making a big play in a pressure situation against a good team," Illinois coach Chris Tamas said. "That's what the Big Ten is all about."
Two road wins to start the season is gold, but celebrations tend to be short-lived in this conference.
Tamas was an assistant to John Cook at Nebraska and previously at Minnesota prior to taking over at Illinois last season after Kevin Hambly left for Stanford. He knows what awaits in that gauntlet known as Big Ten volleyball. Iowa (9-4) is next followed by five-time national champion Nebraska (11-1). Both of those are home matches, and Illinois hopes its fans stuff Huff. Other than hosting its own Illini Classic on Sept. 14-15, Illinois has played all its matches away from Huff Hall.
"You've seen what it's going to be like with this first weekend," Tamas said, noting Penn State's (9-3) loss at Ohio State (10-4). "Every week you better be able to take people's best shot and be able to respond to it. Every year you see seven, eight, nine teams in the tournament, and it's not unusual to see six in the Sweet 16."
That's where the Illini's season ended in 2017 -- this season, with wins over five ranked teams already (Creighton, Colorado, Colorado State, Washington, Purdue), who knows what awaits?
"We've had a tough road to get to where we are," said senior Ali Bastianelli, whose 199 blocks were second in the NCAA last season. "We're really proud of being undefeated. We almost lost, so I think we value it even more now."
In addition to ruling the net, Bastianelli has evolved into a top hitter, leading the team at a .393 clip.
Another senior, Jordyn Poulter, is a setter Tamas deems "good at everything."
"She works harder than just about anybody I've ever seen," he said, noting how much a summer spent training with the U.S. national team added to her development. "That took her to a place she hasn't been in a long time -- having to compete for a spot. ... That put pressure on her to perform."
Junior Jacqueline Quade leads the team kills. The Illini win behind a strong serve-receive game and average 1.85 aces per set, which ranks 14th nationally. Freshman Taylor Kuper, Kansas' Gatorade state volleyball player of the year, already has 22 aces.
"I gave them a challenge last spring to be a better serving team," Tamas said. "We have very motivated players here. They've been serving lights out."
As for the other two teams that are still perfect:
• Top-ranked BYU moved to 12-0, opening West Coast Conference play behind a couple of impressive milestones. In sweeping Saint Mary's on Saturday, the Cougars hit .531, the highest mark of the season and BYU's second-best ever in the rally-scoring era. Senior Roni Jones-Perry set a career high, hitting .786. Two days earlier, she hit .765 against Pacific.
• Behind one of the nation's top offenses, Pitt is 13-0, a run that includes a 3-1 victory over Cal-Poly and a sweep of Washington. The Panthers also won their first 13 matches in 1975; a win over Miami on Friday would set the school record. Junior right side Nika Markovic, who missed two matches with injury, returned to the lineup for Friday's win over Virginia Tech. Markovic, who hit .440 with 14 kills against the Hokies, is second in points per set to sophomore Kayla Lund, the AVCA East Coast Region freshman of the year last fall. Lund paces the Panthers with 4.13 kills per set.
Nobody is talking season-long perfection just yet, but BYU looks to have the easiest path. An Oct. 5 date at San Diego could be a hurdle. The last team to finish unbeaten was Penn State, which did it in consecutive seasons in 2008 and 2009.
Also notable from NCAA volleyball last week:
• Baylor's Yossiana Pressley set a school record with 39 kills in a victory over Iowa State. The sophomore hit .390 for the match.
• Western Kentucky's Travis Hudson recorded his 600th win when his Hilltoppers swept Middle Tennessee on Friday. He is the lone Conference USA coach in history to achieve that feat.
• How fun was Wisconsin remembering the 21st day of September with Earth, Wind & Fire? Check it out.